The Silver Snow
by Melrose Stormhaven
Summary: AU. Ichigo is just a mercenary for hire, until a sandalhat guy recruits him to rescue someone from prison. There he meets the girl the gods have sent to drive him out of his mind and set him towards his own destiny. IchiRuki.


**Disclaimer:** Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Everything else is mine.

**Author's note: **Ah, my first Bleach fanfic. Please be gentle. Comments and criticisms are most welcome. Enjoy the fic! This is set in AU, but will probably contain stuff similar to the 'real' Bleach word.

**Summary:** AU. Ichigo is just a mercenary for hire, until a sandal-hat guy recruits him to rescue someone from prison. There he meets the girl the gods have sent to drive him out of his mind and set him towards his own destiny. IchiRuki.

**Pairings:** **Ichigo x Rukia**. Ishida x Orihime. Urahara x Yorouchi. Hitsugaya x Hinamori. And a whole lot more.

_Italics_ are for _thoughts_ and _flashbacks_.

For **Krichelle** and **Chibi-K**, fellow Bleach and Kubo Tite fans. And for **Boom-boom**, who lent me her manga scans.

The Silver Snow Chapter I: The Debt 

"That's suicide and you know it! I'm not stupid enough to accept something like that!"

Urahara Keisuke closed the fan with a loud snap. He regarded the boy in front him with amusement. "Ah, but you do admit you're just a little stupid, Kurosaki-kun?" The boy before him reddened at the remark. Red was an unbecoming color for the boy, clashing with his wild, spiky orange hair. Urahara took a sip of tea to hide the smile on his lips.

Kurosaki Ichigo glared at Urahara. "I am not admitting to anything!" He stood up, swooping slightly to pick up his sword from the mat. "My answer still stands. I am not going to get myself killed to break into the prison of a mage."

Mages were feared in this land. Wielder of magic and of darker, deadlier arts, mages were powerful, and not the sort to be taken lightly. Even the lords of the lands bowed to them and their creatures, the Hollows.

_What good money would be if I were dead? I still have my family to take care of._ Ichigo thought of his two little sisters and of his crazy old father, who made a meager living as an underground physician for those too poor for healer mages. He needed the money badly, and Urahara was offering a princely sum, but he wasn't _that_ desperate to–

"Even for the girl who saved your life?" Urahara asked softly, looking up at him.

Ichigo stilled. Urahara didn't bother to hide his smile this time. "Don't you remember, Kurosaki-kun? That day in your home, when you came upon the mage's Hollows attacking your family? The Hollows had been too powerful and too many for you to handle, and you and your family would have died…if it weren't for her."

_She had been a tiny thing, thin and frail, with hair the color of raven's wings, appearing out of nowhere, it seemed to him. She looked younger than him, but he guessed they must be of age. Ichigo had screamed at her to leave, but she didn't. Instead, she stood in front of him, just as a Hollow came rushing towards him. _

_He'd been gravely wounded by then, as was the rest of his family, too weak to move, but he manage to grip the girl's skirt and tell her to fucking go._

_To his irritation, the girl just looked at him with her blue eyes. Something inside Ichigo stirred at the glance, a sudden pull that took his breath away, but before he could figure out what it was, the feeling left as swiftly as it came. She gave him a cheeky grin, and said, "Just lie there quietly, fool. I'll take care of this."_

_"Who are you calling a fool, you–" he barely choked out the words when the Hollow, mouth agape, showing fangs and all, came bearing down at them. Ichigo wanted to close his eyes, but couldn't._

_The girl before him braced herself. The air around them began to stir, hot, fiery air, brushing against his skin and his clothes, and when he looked at the girl again, her hand glowed red. And as the Hollow dove to devour them, she made the barest of gestures with her glowing hand._

_The Hollow exploded in front of them, pieces of it splattering everywhere. Ichigo watched with shock as she proceeded to destroy every single Hollow. In a few minutes, all the Hollows were dead at her feet._

_When she was finished, she walked towards him. Her steps were slow but sure, her body covered with blood and gore, but she didn't seem to mind. Her hand now glowed blue. "Mage," Ichigo rasped out, suddenly dizzy. Before he lost consciousness, he could see the girl smile slightly and say, "No, fool. My name is Rukia."_

When Ichigo woke up, all his wounds had been healed, as well as his sisters' and father's. The girl was gone, and he's never even thanked her. All he knew was her name. And the color of her eyes.

He'd never thought to come across her again, but he was wrong. When a little girl the age of his sisters carrying a note from Urahara Keisuke, erstwhile merchant and suspected rebellion leader, came to his new house, requesting for a secret meeting in a hidden house in the woods, he never expected he'd be asked to rescue her.

Ichigo stared at Urahara. The suspected rebellion leader had messy light blonde hair, hidden under the shadows of a striped green and white hat. He carried a cane with him, and wore a black coat with white triangles at the hem and even wore wooden sandals. He'd heard stories about him, that the man had been a noble once, but had done something that enraged the mages and the nobles. He also heard he was a dragonrider, one of the best, riding aloft the skies with a dragon as red as blood.

When he first saw him, he didn't look like the leader of a rebellion that has defied the mages for close to two decades. Well, appearances could be deceiving. Perhaps that's why he had evaded capture so many times. "Why was she imprisoned?" he found himself asking, though he knew the answer.

"Rukia was caught by the mage's men and is imprisoned in a tower cell. She shouldn't have been caught, really. But she blew her cover when she helped you and your family. The mage doesn't look kindly upon renegade mages, especially renegade mages that kill his Hollows." Urahara watched the boy's face. He already had him, he knew. Urahara also knew Rukia would kill him for involving the boy, but it could not be helped. It was _time_ and they could no longer wait. "They will kill her tomorrow, unless _something_ is done."

"Fine." It was as simple as that. He might be a mercenary, but he still had honor, and honor demanded that a debt be paid. She saved his life; it was only fair he helped save hers. Ichigo clenched his fists. "And how are we supposed to break into the prison?"

Urahara regarded him with a small smile. "Is that a yes, Kurosaki-kun?" he asked intently. "Will you help Rukia-san?"

Ichigo frowned. Why was he making a big deal out this? "I already said so, didn't I?"

"You said 'fine', Kurosaki-kun. That is not a 'yes'."

He glared at the sandal-hat man. "Fine. Yes. I'll help her. Satisfied?"

Urahara's smile became a huge grin. Ichigo resisted the urge to kick the man on the face. "Good, Kurosaki-kun. As expected. Now, as to how we break into the prison, that has been taken cared of. We've made plans to get her out."

"Then why do you need me?" He sat back down on the mat. "Isn't that why you're hiring me? To break into the prison?"

"Don't you want to repay your debt to Rukia-san?" Urahara took another sip of his tea. "We need someone to carry out the plan. Someone able to slip past the guards unnoticed, and move quickly enough to get out of the place. And you are quick, Kurosaki-kun. The quickest, so I've heard, with swords, with movement, and even with temper. Speed is required to execute this plan, and you have that. And you also have enough stamina and strength to survive a possible confrontation with the guards or the Hollows."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. The rebellion leader obviously did some study of him and his abilities. "So when are we going to get her out."

Urahara gingerly put his cup down, picked up his cane, and then stood up. He smiled down at Ichigo. "Why, tonight, Kurosaki-kun. My dragon's waiting just outside. Let's go."

**T.B.C.**

**Author's note:** Gah. Yup. There will be magic. There will be dragons. And there will be lemons (which will not be archived in there will be…action. And the other Bleach characters will appear, too. If you're wondering what the hell the silver snow is, you'll have to wait for the next chapters.

**The AU world:** Well, I'm not explaining things in one blow, but all I can say is that they live in a world controlled by mages, and the non-magic folk are oppressed. There's a rebellion going on, and Rukia is part of it.

**Urahara:** Uh, I'll give more information about Urahara soon, and what he does. And can you guess what Urahara's dragon's name is?

**Dragons:** Well, yeah. Gotta love dragons. I'll explain more about them, soon.

**Next chapter:** Ichigo goes to rescue Rukia, and trouble ensues. Ichigo takes his first step towards his destiny.


End file.
